Season’s greatest hits

I thought I’d share two of my most favorite go-to summer recipes. Below is a recipe for roasted corn guacamole that came from a friend in South Bend, where I'm moving in just a few weeks! I’ve been making this guacamole for almost 10 years now and it’s always a huge hit at parties. It’s colorful, festive, and even good for you! (Sadly, I can't find the photo I took to use with this recipe. It looks like edible confetti when you're done.)

Roasted-corn guacamole
1 c. frozen/canned corn kernels
3 T. corn oil
2 large avocados, cut to ½ in. dice
1 large tomato, cut to ½ in. dice
¼ c. chopped cilantro
2 T. minced red onion
1 t. minced jalapeno
1 t. minced garlic
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 t. cider vinegar
1 ½ t. kosher salt
¼ t. cumin

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss the corn with 1 T. of the oil. Roast, tossing often, for 7-8 minutes, until golden. Let cool, then transfer to medium bowl.
2. Fold in avocado, tomato, cilantro, onion, jalapeno and garlic. Stir in the lime juice, vinegar, coarse salt, cumin and two more T. of corn oil. Cover and refrigerate for up to six hours.
3. Serve with tortilla chips—of course. (I like to use blue corn chips to add even more color.)

Now, onto dessert. If you’re looking for a way to use up all those amazing local strawberries, this strawberry-almond cream tart from Cooking Light is delicious and relatively easy. I’m pretty fast in the kitchen and it takes me about 45 minutes to put it together, not including cleanup. It’s great as a make-ahead dish because it needs to chill for four hours before serving. (Though we’ve also chilled it on the go in a cooler in the trunk of a car, which also works in a pinch.)